Overview:• Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment went on to live for two more years, dying at age 122 with the longest documented lifespan of any person in history. Scientists who examined statistical trends regarding maximum lifespans said Calment’s record may last a long time.

• SA Health have warned of a potential explosion in mosquito numbers as floodwaters turn stagnant. Authorities said warm weather would combine with high water volumes left by flooding over the past week and create perfect conditions for breeding.

• The Stillbirth Foundation Australia commissioned PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct a study to estimate the cost to the economy of stillbirths in Australia as part of its efforts to draw more attention to the number of babies stillborn in Australia each year. PwC found almost $280m would be lost from the economy between 2016 and 2020 because parents who had suffered a stillbirth would be absent from work, or unable to carry out all of their regular duties.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 7th of October 2016. Read by Rebecca Foster. Health News

When she turned 120 years old in 1995, plucky Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment was asked what type of future she expected.

“A very short one,” she replied.

However Calment went on to live for two more years, dying at age 122 with the longest documented lifespan of any person in history. Scientists who examined statistical trends regarding maximum lifespans said Calment’s record may last a long time.

An analysis of mortality and population data covering about 40 countries indicated humankind may already have hit its longevity ceiling, they said.

Average life expectancy continues to increase and more people are reaching extreme old age.

But, the researchers said people who reach 110 today have no greater life expectancy than those who lived to 110 in the 1970s.

A new study estimates the cost to the economy of stillbirths in Australia will be $681.4 million over the next five years, with the largest impact on workplaces.

The Stillbirth Foundation Australia commissioned PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct the study, as part of its efforts to draw more attention to the number of babies stillborn in Australia each year.

The Foundation said while the emotional toll on families was incalculable, it is [the] first time the economic cost of stillbirths has been modelled.

PwC found almost $280m would be lost from the economy between 2016 and 2020 because parents who had suffered a stillbirth would be absent from work, or unable to carry out all of their regular duties.

Other costs included hospital tests and care, government payments, funeral expenses, and the cost of divorce.

The report uses data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to estimate the number of stillborn babies that are likely in Australia over the next five years, and surveyed 593 families who had suffered a stillbirth.

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